1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to a method and system for autonomously processing requests from remotely located users. More particularly, this invention is directed to a method and system for tailoring services based on a screen name of a requesting user.
2. Description of the Related Art
Internet users are well versed in accessing the Internet using widely available web browsing software to search for desired information. The web browser software permits users to access various automated search engines and, by entering appropriate queries, identify web pages which may contain the information of interest. While a wide variety of information is available in this manner, most web pages are directed to specific types of information. As a result, users who are seeking information in various diverse topics will often need to locate and access multiple, and perhaps unrelated, web pages. While users can find a great deal of in-depth information regarding particular topics, it can often be very difficult to obtain answers to short and specific questions due to the overwhelming number of web pages which will be identified in conventional indexing and search engine-based systems.
Various efforts have been made to aggregate diverse information onto one or a few web pages. However, these aggregated sites are often maintained by individual users as “personal web pages” and are thus of questionable reliability. Although some commercial web sites have been implemented for the purpose of aggregating information, these sites generally compete among each other for users and thus include many graphical features and expanded functionality to increase the site's attractiveness. However, this additional functionality also makes these sites more cumbersome and slow to access and use because of the additional data and processing overhead.
Another widely used Internet application is instant messaging (“IM”). IM services of one form or another are in use by an estimated 70 million people or more. Unlike Internet browsing software, which is used to access various web pages, IM is primarily used by a subscriber to “chat” with one or more other IM users. To access an IM service, a user registers with a service provider and, after connecting to the Internet (or other appropriate data network), enter their screen name and password to log in to the IM network. Popular IM applications include AOL's Instant Messenger and Microsoft's MSN Messenger services. Once a user has logged in to the appropriate IM network, his presence on the system is made known to all authorized partners (commonly termed “buddies”). The user can then engage in typed conversations with other IM users connected to the system.
Because IM is a text-based service, instant messaging communication is generally not burdened by the need to transfer large graphic, sound, or program files. As a result, instant messaging is a relatively quick and easy to use system. However, while instant messaging is widely available, its value as a means to access and retrieve data from a remotely located automated system has not been fully appreciated.
Users of IM services often simultaneously use Internet browsers to access web pages. It is not uncommon for an IM user to forward a link to a web page of interest via the IM service to another user. However, if the indicated web page contains sensitive information, a user subsequently following the link to access the web page may be required to enter a username and password. Even though the user has already signed in to the IM service, and thus is already authenticated, the accessed web site generally has no knowledge of this authentication.
Instant messaging services were originally designed to facilitate person-to-person communication. Here, a user runs IM client software on their terminal device, such as a computer at work, a computer at home, a television set-top box, a cell phone, an IM appliance, or the like. The IM client software communicates over a network to an IM service. However, the user must first login to the IM service by providing both a unique identifier, called a “screen name,” and a secret password.
After validating the password, the IM service then provides certain information and services to the user. The information provided by the IM service includes (but is not limited to) a stored contact list, which is a list of screen names with whom the user commonly frequently communicates. The IM service will also provide information about preference settings selected by the user. The preference settings may be used to control the behavior of client software, such as whether to play sounds when certain events occur.
The ability of the IM service to store information permits a user to log in from different terminal devices and access the same stored information. As a result, the user experience is consistent regardless of the point of access. The ability to login from different terminal devices while obtaining the same user experience is called “roaming.”
The services provided by the IM service include “presence detection” for the screen names in the contact list: the service continuously updates the online status of each of the screen names mentioned in the contact list. By way of visual presentation of the contact list, the IM service may inform the user of the on-line status and the idle status of other contacts.
The IM service also provides messaging services. A user wishing to communicate with another user can click on the other user's screen name in the contact list, or by some other mechanism provided by the IM client software, to indicate the screen name of the other user. The IM service then establishes a communications channel between the two users and delivers short messages between the user in real-time.
It is possible to implement messaging services wherein the identities of the users are not authenticated, such as Internet electronic mail (e-mail) and Internet Relay Chat (IRC). User authentication was a key innovation that made IM different from other Internet messaging services. User authentication permits the IM service to keep track of individualized profile settings, thereby enabling roaming. During user authentication a unique key (e.g., the screen name) is assigned to each user such that their personal settings can be stored and retrieved in a secure and reliable manner.
User authentication enables presence detection. In this case, it is pointless to have a contact list unless the meaning of each screen name is constant and unique. Unique screen names permit consistent identification of users to the other users.
In addition, user authentication provides a user with the confidence of knowing that instant messages they receive originated from people that are identified as the senders of the instant messages. Unlike a message that is received via Internet e-mail or IRC, the identity of the sender of an instant message is very difficult to forge.
Originally, the sole intent when IM services were created was to facilitate person-to-person communication. An interactive agent is a software program that has its own screen name and password, and makes itself known to the IM service, perhaps by logging into the IM service, perhaps by logging into the IM service as though it were a user. A user interacts with the interactive agent in much the same way that the user would talk to another person. The user can add the screen name of the interactive agent to their contact list. In addition, the user can initiate a conversation with the interactive agent by either clicking on the appropriate screen name in the contact list or by some other mechanism as provided by the IM client software. The interactive agent receives a message from a user, parses that message, formulates an answer, and sends that answer back to the user.
In this way, an interactive agent can provide a variety of services to a user via the IM service. For example, (i) games, such as word games and card games; (ii) information, such as stock quotes, weather reports, movie listings, and news; (iii) conversations; (iv) control, such as setting up a telephone conference call or activating the lawn sprinklers of a home; and (v) access, such as querying a database.
Some services are “restricted services,” where the service provider wishes to control access to the service, so that only certain people may access certain parts of the service. The traditional mechanism for restricting access to a service is to issue an account and password. For example, a user wishing to access his bank balance using a Web browser must first go through a registration process, whereby the bank creates a new account and password for the user. Only after the user has obtained the new account and password, can he then access his banking information.
The user must repeat the registration process for each bank account, credit card, etc., that he wishes to access. In this situation, the user must track a password for each account.
One advantage to combining instant messaging with interactive agents is that the interactive agent can provide instant access to restricted services without the need to create an account and password for each user. Due to the very nature of instant messaging, the sender of an instant message is authenticated a priori. By way of instant messaging, an interactive agent can provide a user with access to restricted services by using the user's screen name as the account. Here, a password is not necessary; the fact that the message arrived via the IM service indicates that the user was previously authenticated and can be granted access safety without requiring an additional level of authentication.